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O Record, Where Art Thou?

By

John Jurgensen

July 1, 2011

There's only one name on the front of the album—Gillian Welch—so who's the guy in the cover illustration whispering into her ear?

Singer and guitarist David Rawlings has long backed Ms. Welch, a leading voice in American roots music. Now, like his visage on her new CD, his creative contributions are coming to the forefront. When they sing in harmony, their voices blur. Their songwriting is so interwoven that they forget who contributed which lyric. And during the eight years since Ms. Welch's last release, Mr. Rawlings...